Bone tumor is a cancer of bones that begins in any bone in the body. It most commonly affects the long bones that make up the arms and legs. There are several types of bone tumor. Some of the tumors occur primarily in children while other may only occur in adults.
It odes not include tumor that begins somewhere else and spreads up to the bones.
Symptoms of bone tumors-
The common signs and symptoms of bone tumor are
o Bone pain
o Swelling and tenderness near the affected area
o Broken bone
o Fatigue
o Unintended weight loss
Causes of bone tumors-
The exact cause of most bone tumor is not clear. Doctors know that bone tumor begin as an error in the DNA of the cells. The error results in growing and dividing of the cells in an uncontrolled way. These cells continue to live rather than dying at the set time. The mutated cells accumulate forming a tumor that can invade nearby structures and spread to other parts and organs of the body.
Treatment of bone tumor-
The treatment option for the bone tumor is based on the type of the cancer, its stage, the overall health of the patient, his age and the preference.
Types of bone cancer
Bone cancers are broken down into separate types based on the type of cell where the cancer began. The most common types of bone cancer include:
o Osteosarcoma- This type of tumor begins in the bone cells.
o Chondrosarcoma- It begins in cartilage cells that are commonly found on the ends of bones.
o Ewing's sarcoma- It's not clear where in bone Ewing's sarcoma begins but research shows that it begins in nerve tissues.
The treatment usually involves surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of treatments.
Surgery
Surgery is done to remove the entire bone cancer. For the accomplishment of the same, doctors remove the tumor and a small portion of healthy tissue that surrounds it. There are different types of surgery to treat bone tumor which may include:
o Surgery to remove a limb
o Surgery to remove the cancer, but spare the limb
o Surgery for cancer that doesn't affect the limbs.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high power beams of energy such as X rays to kill cells that spread cancer or tumor. During this therapy, the patient is made to lie down on a table while a special machine moves around him and aims the energy beams at precise points on the body.
Radiation therapy is used in people with bone tumor that cannot be removed with the help of surgery. Radiation therapy is also sometimes used after surgery to kill any tumor cells that may be left behind. Those with advanced bone tumor, radiation therapy may help controlling signs and symptoms such as pain
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is drugs based treatment that uses chemicals to kill the cells spreading cancer. It is mostly give intravenously. The chemotherapy medication travel through out the patient's body
It is often combined with radiation therapy before surgery to shrink a bone cancer to a more manageable size that allows the surgeon to perform a limb-sparing surgery.